2020年经济学人 家庭娱乐专栏--回到水中(2)(在线收听

In Amity, those in charge see the danger but fail to act swiftly. Brody, the local police chief (played by Roy Scheider), is wellmeaning but unprepared. After the first shark attack the self-important Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) persuades him to keep the beaches open to save the tourist economy; the men lock down only when three more people are killed. (Boris Johnson, Britain’s prime minister, once cited the mayor as a political hero for his boldness in weighing death against commerce.)

在艾米蒂,负责人们看到了危险,却没有迅速采取行动。当地的警察局长布罗迪(由罗伊·施奈德饰演)心存善意,但是没做准备。在第一鲨鱼袭击后,自命不凡的沃恩市长(莫瑞·汉密尔顿)劝说警长继续开放沙滩,以挽救旅游经济。又有三个人被杀害后,这些人才关闭海滩。(英国首相鲍里斯·约翰逊曾经提到这位市长,认为他是政治英雄,因为他敢于权衡死亡与商业之间的关系。)

Experts disagree on how to overcome the danger. Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), a wisecracking academic, prefers brainy methods; Quint (Robert Shaw), a heavydrinking shark hunter, opts for brawn. Even in a film packed with memorable dialogue, Quint’s description of being torpedoed during the second world war, with its grim mortality statistics, stands out: “So, 1,100 men went into the water; 316 men come out. The sharks took the rest.”

专家们对于如何战胜危机,众议纷纭。胡珀(理查德·德莱弗斯)是一名风趣的学者,他更喜欢靠脑力的办法;昆特(罗伯特·肖)是一名酗酒的猎鲨者,偏爱武力解决。即使是在一部充满难忘对话的电影中,昆特利用惨淡的死亡率统计数据,对二战期间被鱼雷袭击的描述也很突出:“所以,1100人下水,316人出水。剩下的都被鲨鱼吃掉了。”

Sadly, it will take more than three misfits in a ramshackle vessel to beat the virus. Metaphorically speaking, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” Still, quarantine is another chance to enjoy Mr Spielberg’s yarn, albeit with an after-bite. For many, its legacy was a lifelong fear of the sea; for some, covid-19 may bequeath a lingering queasiness about the world outside.

可悲的是,在一艘摇摇欲坠的船上,要想战胜病毒,还需要三个以上的错配。打个比方说,“你需要一艘更大的船。”尽管如此,隔离给我们提供了一个机会让可以享受斯皮尔伯格的故事,尽管会有后劲。对许多人来说,这部电影遗留给他们的是一辈子对海洋的恐惧;对一些人来说,新冠肺炎里留给他们的可能会是挥之不去的对外界的不安感。

  原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/2020jjxr/507802.html